President Donald Trump will hold a three-way summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week in Shenzhen, China, the White House announced on Friday. The gathering will take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit as Trump continues his diplomatic push following his proposal for trilateral arms control negotiations.
Trump reportedly plans to focus the discussions on securing worldwide nuclear arsenal reductions and addressing the ongoing conflict in Iran. White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales emphasized the president's commitment to addressing strategic risks, stating, "The president has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world. This proliferation, President Trump believes, is very dangerous."
Nuclear Reductions and Strategic Priorities
The trilateral session is scheduled for Thursday, alongside a separate bilateral working lunch and meeting between Trump and Xi. That session will mark their fourth direct face-to-face encounter since Trump returned to office.
Senior U.S. officials stated that negotiations over the war in Ukraine will be excluded from the meeting, noting that Washington maintains a separate negotiating path directly with Kyiv and Moscow where Beijing is not involved. In addition, officials noted that American export controls on sensitive microchip technology will not be raised, underscoring that these domestic national security protections remain non-negotiable.
Trump is scheduled to depart Washington on Monday, attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in the Philippines on Tuesday before heading to Shenzhen. Senior officials noted that Elon Musk will accompany the delegation to China but will not take part in the three-way meeting.
